A True Apple Shone in the Firmament

Sabine Peters’ novel tells the story of a sheltered childhood, shaped by religion and literature. Simultaneously, it explores universal human fears that inhabit all of us.

Marie creates an entire world in the sandpit. She holds a church service in the playroom with her sisters. She becomes a Native American, a car, a donkey, a bell. The mop in the broom cupboard is transformed into a maned idol.
A picture book about the mundane and magical experiences of a childhood in the 1960s – quarrels between siblings, holidays with the family in the Netherlands, perfect summer days. Yet, this idyll is constantly threatend or becomes a caricature, and comedy alternates with horror. Calmly, but with great intensity and imagination, Sabine Peters describes a sheltered upbringing with religious and literary influences. She tells tales of fear and elation, anger and affection, authority and the spirit of contradiction.
A story book and a history book on the “years of prosperity” in the Federal Republic of Germany which then takes a leap into a surreal present. The images created are torn apart, form new patterns and flutter away.
It is novel about things that only appear to be small, full of poetry and quiet tones, told with sensitivity.